San Diego Chargers Post Draft Commentary

The 2008 San Diego Chargers team was an exercise in both under achievement and perseverance as the tea battled back from a 4-8 record to win the AFC West and make the playoffs. The problem is that the team should never have been 4-8 to begin with; not with the level of talent the roster has. But, the Chargers were hurt by inconsistency from everyone involved with the team; even changing Defensive Coordinators during the season.

Coming into the 2009 off season, the team did have some areas to fill if they wanted to make the playoffs. The offensive line needs to be replenished with younger talent as Jeromey Clary does not appear to be the answer at right tackle and guard Mike Goff signed with Kansas City. The Chargers did not chose to select an offensive tackle however, instead they chose to upgrade their depth along the interior as they chose two guards; Tyronne Green and Louis Vasquez. Vasquez is a bit stiff and unathletic, but he is a physical player who likes contact and is best served playing in a phone booth. Tyronne Green is a developmental player who has a great initial surge off the line, but is very raw after being a defensive tackle for the majority of his college career. Both players bring something different to the team, but Vasquez probably has the best chance to start right away as the team looks to replace the departed Goff.

The Chargers had other areas of need on offense; wide receiver and running back are probably the biggest as the depth behind Vincent Jackson and Chris Chambers is very thin aside from Malcolm Floyd, but he still only 468 yards receiving. But, the team chose to hold out until the 7th round before selecting Demetrius Byrd, who was recently injured in a car crash. If Byrd can come back from his injuries, he may provide the team with the depth it thought it had when it drafted Craig “Buster” Davis in 2007 out of LSU. The Chargers do run a great deal of their offense through the TE and RB, but the team still needs more than 3 capable receivers. The team did address the running back situation with the selection of Gartrell Johnson, but his lack of speed may relegate the former Colorado State star to a backup role for his career. He is a tough inside runner, who prefers to run North and South. He should provide a nice complement to both Darren Sproles and LaDainian Tomlinson, who may be on the downside of his career.

With Shawn Merriman missing the entire 2008 season, the team elected to bring in another pass rusher as an insurance and possible bridge to the future should Merriman not regain his previously form. The team sis have an issue at inside linebacker, even with the signing of Kevin Burnett, but again elected to go another direction in choosing the hard working English. English is a relentless player who could make the San Diego defense one of the more feared units in the league. His selection at #16 was a bit puzzling, but given that the Chargers did not have 2nd rounder, getting another quality player like English in the 3rd round probably would not happen. The team also added Vaughn Martin as a possible replacement for Igor Olshansky at defensive end and Kevin Ellison to help bolster the depth at safety; which was thin at best previously.

The Chargers should have reloaded enough to win the AFC West with ease given the state of every other team in the division. In reality the division is the Chargers to lose, and the team must capitalize on the weakness of the division and try to gain home field advantage for the playoffs. However, the team must be more consistent and needs the offensive line to come together in a hurry. If this unit continues to be a weak spot, the team could have issues putting points on the board.

Pre Draft Needs: WR, LB, DL, OL, RB